December 30, 2017

After sporadically posting on this blog for almost 9 years I've decided to end it....so this will be the last post. It was with this blog that I first shared my work, and while it feels a little odd for me to shut it down, it is time for a change. I find that I am spending what limited time (and interest) I have for social media on other sites like Facebook and Instagram, and maintaining this blog has become to feel like somewhat of a chore. Most of the content that is featured on this blog is also posted on my website, and I will continue to post similar content and updates there. So for the followers of this blog, and anyone else that has found their way here, you can continue to keep up to date with me with the following links:

I recently became involved in a project that requires/affords me the opportunity to dive back into my Entartete Kunst work to create a few pieces that, for various reasons, I had omitted from the first series. This is the first one that i have finished...and I won't get into any details regarding the project here, but there are a few more new EK images coming down the pipe in the near future.

December 23, 2017

Over the past couple years I've helped out on Anki Overdrive with character design and illustration. Earlier this year I was asked to work on their Fast & Furious cross over...again with character design and illustration. Working on film related projects can be bit tricky...as you have to jump through many levels of approval: internal developer approval, production studio approval, the I.P. holder approval and then the actors themselves. But I've worked on other film related projects in the past, so I know the drill. Things went fairly smoothly, but there were a few hick ups along the way, with the scope of the work being cut back, the Anki art director being replaced half way through the project and a few scheduling issues. But in the end, the work was finished and was given over to Anki. Fast forward a few months to release and I see that the characters that I had done have been changed - painted over and modified with body parts skewed and scaled. It was disappointing to see. But you can't get too upset as these things. At the end of the day it is their property so they do as they wish and the new versions must have been approved by Universal and the actors.....so I guess everyone else is happy with it. That is the way it goes....

December 18, 2017

Here is a logo design I did recently for small independent publisher Viking House. I usually shy away from straight up graphic design gigs....as I am much more of an illustrator than a graphic designer, but this one seemed that it would be pretty fun. It definitely helped that they had fairly good idea of what they wanted, a design blending a dragon and a viking longship, so that made the task easier. We went through a few different design iterations and we eventually settled on this.

After the primary logo was finalized, different logo display options were created.

December 12, 2017

This one is a holiday card graphic designed for Toronto based marketing and design firm G.L. Smith Planning & Design. They wanted something fun, that spoke to tech, design and Canada, but given current sensibilities, couldn't have any overt Christmas imagery or motifs. After a few iterations and options we settled on "The Greeting Machine", a bold graphic design of a contraption that displays well wishes and incorporates cute robotic interpretations of iconic Canadian animals.

The final design was printed as a greeting card to be sent out to clients, colleagues, friends, etc., and it was also printed as a large format poster for use within the G.L. Smith office.

December 2, 2017

Years ago I designed a group of mascots for Vancouver based game developer Next Level Games. These simple, graphic characters, known as the NLG Family, were created to represent different aspects of the company's culture and were used in internal branding situations. As the company celebrated it's 15th year, they asked if I would design a new "family member", one that would encompass some new traits that the company has picked up along the way: wisdom/experience, awareness and consideration.

After several design rounds Mr. Bodhi was born. He is meant to be jolly and wise so visually he is somewhat reminiscent of Budai, the Laughing Buddha, and his silhouette is meant to be similar to the Mandelbrot Set. His long flexible arms enable him to hug any sized frame and his colours are warm and inviting.

It was a little challenging designing a character to fit in with a group of designs I did so many years ago...but in the end I think he turned out pretty well.

Here are a few pics of a personal commission done for a client out in Toronto. The piece was created to celebrate the birth of the client's twins, a boy and a girl. The composition is similar to the Taijitu, the Chinese yin and yang symbol, and encompasses the idea of individual forces that are seemingly opposed are also complementary and interconnected.

As with other personal commissions I've done in this series, the final image was printed as an archival quality giclee on fine art paper.

September 4, 2017

They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery…but this isn’t cool! It looks like those clowns at “Dream Cast” are at it again...bootlegging my EK model kits! Last fall they had released copies of the three figures in the 1/8th scale EK Cosmonaut Series, and now they have managed to produce a knock off of the popular 1/6 scale Dystopic kit. These bootlegged kits are recast from an original kit, often using cheap materials and parts, so they are of an inferior quality. But more importantly, they are produced without consent, and completely cut the creators, Gene, myself and Industria Mechanika, out of the loop. So if you are interested in purchasing a kit, please order directly from Industria Mechanika at: industriamechanika.com

August 23, 2017

All three 1/8th scale EK Cosmonaut kits are back in stock over at Industria Mechanika (I think this is the first time all 3 kits are available at the same time). Expertly modelled by Gene Campbell, and produced by Industria Mechanika, these are great High quality garage kits.

As I mentioned in a couple previous posts, bootlegged versions of these kits appeared last fall, but you can be sure that these are the real thing!

So if you need a kit or 2 to complete the series, or if you are looking for a full set, now is the time to pick them up!

July 30, 2017

Here is a cover I did for Cyrus Longbones and the Curse of the Sea Zombie, the first book in a young readers series by Jeremy Mathiesen.

This one was fun to illustrate, as there was a lot to pull from Jeremy's story.....an action packed adventure with an interesting setting.....think Pirates of the Caribbean meets Keepers of the Maser. Jeremy wanted a murky-like feeling...which worked well with my desaturated, hazy style. I also had the opportunity to create the logo and tag-line wordmark.

Cyrus Longbones and the Curse of the Sea Zombie will be available later in the year from Viking House Publishing.

Some more prints have been added to the shop on my website, borninconcrete.com. All are high quality, limited edition giclees printed on fine art paper. Signed and numbered with a certificate of authenticity. Various sizes, shapes, etc. Check them out at the shop!

May 26, 2017

I'll be participating in the judging panel again for The Rookies, an international awards competition for artists, designers, animators, creators, etc. Entries have to be submitted by this Monday, May 29th. Every year The Rookies hand out a bunch of great prizes and paid internships to some of the top studios in the field. Winners should be announced in July.

March 16, 2017

Here is a cover illustration I did for the book "Renegades", the third instalment in the Randoms Series by author David Liss. This one is another great science-fi adventure, with Zeke and his friends continuing their adventure, traveling to strange worlds, encountering bizarre beings, battling aliens, while learning and growing along the way. Plus there is a dose of tween romance thrown in there for good measure.

Anyways, the cover was a lot of fun....being a wrap around image like the previous books and featuring a host of the characters from the series in a circular graphic arrangement. This one was a little different in that it contains 2 different locations....one on the front cover and the second on the back, whereas the previous 2 books featured singular locations. This also introduced more colour...but in the end I still think it fits with the other covers.

February 5, 2017

I'm happy to announce a new model kit I have in the works with Industria Mechanika, the 1/6th scale Duchess. Sculpted again by the talented Gene Campbell, this figure was conceived as a companion piece to the popular Dystopic kit.

Production on this figure has begun, so hopefully the kit will be ready for pre-order and release sometime later in 2017.